Avid Assistant

Avid Projects. It's the first thing you are greeted with once you have launched Media Composer. In days gone by creating a project was relatively simple with only 3 types being available. These were basically PAL (25 frames) NTSC (Drop and Non-Drop) and finally Film (24 frames usually). When High Definition formats turned up they added to the muddied waters with various raster sizes (1280x720 and 1920x1080) varying frame rates (50fps was now commonly available) as well as the usual Progressive and Interlaced fields issue. Today we now have 2K, UHD, and 4K to contend with too. These add further issues such as varying colour spaces and a myriad of various frame rates and raster sizes, such as the Digital Cinema Initiatives formats. DCI Flat, DCI Full, DCI Scope and Full Apature  to name but a few. If you are interested in the complete list of varying formats check this  Avid KB article  about currently supported project formats. For this short post, I'd like to lo...

You've worked hard to get your first Avid Assistant role so you need to keep that good impression going to make sure you'll be hired again! Stepping into an editing room for the first time can be a little overwhelming. I'm not talking about the technology but rather the day to day workplace interactions with others, especially the editor. OK, so some edit suits aren't too intimidating. Relationships with your co-workers are very important. You're not just trading off your technical ability but also your reputation as a great person to work with. Are you easy to get on with? Helpful? Punctual and well mannered? Can you work well under pressure and still be polite and helpful? All of these are important life skills and can make the difference between being hired and not. I know a number of Assistants who are technically brilliant but their personal persona has actually deterred editors from working with them. Don't forget, the editing profession i...